KR101513082B1 - System and method to initiate a housekeeping operation at a mobile device - Google Patents

Abstract

A system and method for initiating a housekeeping operation in a mobile device is disclosed. In a particular embodiment, the method at a mobile device includes modifying a scheduled housekeeping operation in response to determining that the mobile device is in a charging mode.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a system and method for initiating a housekeeping operation in a mobile device.

The present disclosure generally relates to initiating a housekeeping operation in a mobile device.

Advances in technology have made computing devices more compact and more powerful. There are a variety of portable personal computing devices currently available, including, for example, wireless computing devices such as portable wireless phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and paging devices, which are small and lightweight, Carry. More specifically, portable radiotelephones, such as cellular phones and Internet Protocol (IP) phones, are capable of communicating voice and data packets over wireless networks. Also, many such wireless phones include other types of devices that are incorporated therein. For example, a wireless telephone may also include a digital still camera, a digital video camera, a digital recorder, and an audio file player. In addition, such wireless telephones may process executable instructions, including software applications, such as web browser applications, which may be used to access the Internet. Thus, these wireless telephones may include significant computing and data storage capabilities.

The reliability of the computing and data storage capabilities of the mobile device is dependent in part on the performance of housekeeping operations in the mobile device. For example, the memory of the mobile device may periodically perform an error correction housekeeping operation or a self refresh housekeeping operation to maintain the integrity of the data stored in the memory. However, performing housekeeping operations on the mobile device consumes power resources, which may negatively impact the ability of the mobile device to continue performing other functions.

A method of controlling the initiation of a housekeeping operation is described. When the mobile device is in the non-charging mode, the method includes saving battery life of the mobile device by delaying the housekeeping operation until the mobile device switches to the charging mode. By rescheduling the performance of the housekeeping operation over time if the performance of the mobile device does not depend on battery life, the operation of the mobile device during the non-charging mode can be extended.

In a particular embodiment, a method is disclosed that includes, at a mobile device, modifying a scheduled housekeeping operation in response to determining that the mobile device is in a charging mode.

In another specific embodiment, a policy-based offloading method of a housekeeping operation is disclosed. The method includes detecting that the mobile device is in a charging mode. The method also includes initiating a housekeeping operation at the mobile device in accordance with the system-level policy in response to detecting that the mobile device is in the charging mode.

In another particular embodiment, an apparatus is disclosed that includes a first device configured to perform a housekeeping operation. The apparatus also includes a power management integrated circuit configured to determine whether to initiate a housekeeping operation in the first device before a scheduled start time of the housekeeping operation. The determination is based at least in part on whether the device is being charged.

In another specific embodiment, the method includes mitigating the physical design requirements of the device based on an adjustable system-level policy controlled externally of the device. An adjustable system-level policy controls the performance of housekeeping operations.

One particular advantage provided by at least one of the disclosed embodiments is that by delaying the performance of the housekeeping operation until the mobile device is being charged to prevent battery draining, Can be saved for a while.

Another particular advantage provided by at least one of the disclosed embodiments in which a housekeeping operation is performed on a device based on an adjustable system-level policy is that the cost and complexity of the device can be reduced by mitigating the design requirements of the device. For example, the memory of the mobile device may be more than an industry standard by creating an adjustable system-level policy that schedules and initiates housekeeping operations, such as error correction and self-refreshes more frequently than specified by industry standards And can be designed to have lower data retention. In this case, the impact on battery performance to perform more housekeeping operations may be reduced by performing housekeeping operations when the battery is being charged.

Other aspects, advantages, and features of the disclosure will become apparent after review of the following paragraphs, including the full disclosure, including a brief description of the drawings, the detailed description, and the claims.

1 is a block diagram of a specific exemplary embodiment of a mobile device that initiates a housekeeping operation based on whether the mobile device is being charged.
Figure 2 is a block diagram of a second exemplary embodiment of the mobile device of Figure 1;
3 is a block diagram of a third exemplary embodiment of the mobile device of FIG.
4 is a graph showing how the performance rate of the housekeeping operation of the device can be adjusted to compensate for the relaxation of the physical design parameters of the device.
5 is a flow diagram of a particular exemplary embodiment of a method for initiating a housekeeping operation in a mobile device based on whether the mobile device is being charged.
6 is a flow diagram of a second exemplary embodiment of a method for initiating a housekeeping operation in a mobile device based on whether the mobile device is being charged.
7 is a flow diagram of a specific embodiment of a method of policy-board offloading of a housekeeping operation.
8 is a flow diagram of a particular exemplary embodiment of a method for designing a mobile device to initiate a housekeeping operation based on whether the mobile device is being charged.
9 is a block diagram of a specific embodiment of a wireless communication device including a power management integrated circuit that initiates a housekeeping operation based on whether the mobile device is being charged.
10 is a data flow diagram illustrating a manufacturing process for use with a mobile device initiating a housekeeping operation based on whether the mobile device is being charged.

Referring to Figure 1, a specific embodiment of a mobile device 100 that initiates a housekeeping operation based on whether the mobile device 100 is being charged is disclosed. The mobile device 100 includes a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 102 and a first device 104. The first device 104 may be a non-volatile memory, a volatile memory, or any other component or device within the mobile device 100. The first device 104 may perform a housekeeping operation to maintain the performance of the first device 104. For example, the memory device may periodically perform a self-refresh housekeeping operation or an error correction code (ECC) housekeeping operation to maintain the integrity of the data stored in the memory device.

The PMIC 102 is configured to determine whether the mobile device 100 is in a charging mode (e.g., whether the mobile device 100 is plugged into external power) or in a non-charging mode (e.g., 100 is not plugged in and the internal battery is in operation). For example, the PMIC 102 may delay the housekeeping operation at the mobile device 100 in the non-charging mode until the mobile device 100 is plugged in. In this case, the PMIC 102 may send a command 120 to the first device 104 to initiate a housekeeping operation in response to the determination 130 that the mobile device 100 is in the charging mode.

The PMIC 102 may also send a command 120 to the first device 104 to initiate a housekeeping operation when the mobile device 100 is in the non-charging mode. For example, the PMIC 102 may include a housekeeping timer 110 that represents elapsed time 172 from the beginning of a periodic cycle of housekeeping operations. Threshold 170 may indicate the start of a scheduled housekeeping operation. If the housekeeping timer 110 exceeds the threshold 170, the PMIC 102 may send a command 120 to the first device 104 to initiate a scheduled housekeeping operation. For example, in order to maintain the performance of the memory, the self-refresh housekeeping operation may be performed before the threshold 170 is exceeded.

After the first device 104 initiates the housekeeping operation, the mobile device 100 changes from the charging mode to the non-charging mode, so that the performance of the housekeeping operation is limited to limited power resources for the mobile device 100 (e.g., For example, a battery). For example, the mobile device 100 may be unplugged from the external power source and begin running with the internal battery. In response to determining 150 that the mobile device 100 is transitioning from a charging mode to a non-charging mode or has been switched, the first device 104 sends a command 152 to suspend the housekeeping operation to the PMIC (102). The PMIC 102 sends a command 156 to the first device 104 to resume the housekeeping operation in response to the determination 154 that the mobile device 100 is transitioning from the non-charging mode to the charging mode, Lt; / RTI > The PMIC 102 may reset the housekeeping timer 110 in response to receipt of an indication 158 that the housekeeping operation is complete. By controlling housekeeping operations based on whether the mobile device 100 is charging, the power resources of the mobile device 100 can be saved during the non-charging mode.

Referring to FIG. 2, a particular embodiment of a mobile device 100 with a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 102 of FIG. 1 is shown. 2, the mobile device 100 includes a system-on-chip (SoC) 212 that includes a non-volatile memory 210 and a volatile memory 214. The mobile device 100 may also include one or more additional devices 216. The PMIC 102 may perform a housekeeping operation on the non-volatile memory 210, the SoC 212, and one or more additional devices 216 based on whether the mobile device 100 is being charged Can be delayed.

The PMIC 102 may include one or more timers, each of which is dedicated to tracking the elapsed time of the periodic cycle to perform housekeeping operations. For example, when the PMIC 102 schedules the periodic performance of an error correction code (ECC) housekeeping operation, the ECC timer 202 tracks the first elapsed time 208 from the beginning of the ECC housekeeping operation cycle . ≪ / RTI > The refresh timer 204 may indicate a second elapsed time 282 from the beginning of the self-refresh housekeeping cycle in the non-volatile memory 210. As another example, the PMIC 102 may include a transfer timer 206 that indicates a third elapsed time 284 from the start of the transfer house keeping operation cycle.

The PMIC 102 may also include one or more system-level policies 208 that control the scheduling of housekeeping operations and control whether to initiate housekeeping operations prior to the scheduled starting time of the housekeeping operations . For example, the system-level policies 208 may include an ECC housekeeping operation policy 218 that controls whether the ECC housekeeping operation is delayed or performed in the non-volatile memory 210. For example, according to the ECC housekeeping behavior policy 218, the PMIC 102 may send a command 259 to the non-volatile memory 210 to initiate an ECC housekeeping operation when the mobile device 100 is being charged have. The ECC housekeeping behavior policy 218 also includes an ECC HOURCKEEPTION action policy 218 in response to the first elapsed time 208 of the ECC timer 202 when the PMIC 102 exceeds the ECC threshold 290 (e.g., 24 hours) To send a command 259 to initiate a housekeeping operation.

As another example, the system-level policies 208 may include a self-refresh housekeeping behavior policy 220 that controls whether the non-volatile memory 210 performs a self-refresh housekeeping operation. For example, according to the self-refresh housekeeping behavior policy 220, the PMIC 102 may send a command 252 to the nonvolatile memory 210 to initiate a self-refresh housekeeping operation when the mobile device 100 is being charged, Lt; / RTI > The self-refresh policy 220 also includes a command to initiate a self-refresh housekeeping operation in response to a second elapsed time 282 of the refresh timer 204 when the PMIC 102 exceeds the refresh threshold 292 Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 252 < / RTI >

The system-level policies 208 may include migration to non-volatile memory policy 222 indicating whether data stored in volatile memory 214 can be delivered to non-volatile memory 210. For example, according to the transfer policy 222, the PMIC 102 may send an instruction 254 to the SoC 212 to initiate the transfer house keeping operation when the mobile device 100 is being charged. The transfer policy 222 also includes a command 254 to initiate the transfer house keeping operation in response to a third elapsed time 284 of the transfer timer 206 that exceeds the transfer threshold 294 To be transmitted.

The system-level policies 208 may also include any additional policies 224 that control housekeeping operations in one or more additional devices 216. [ For example, the PMIC 102 may be configured to initiate additional housekeeping operations based on, at least in part, one or more of the additional policies 224 and based on the determination 130 that the mobile device 100 is in the charging mode Command 256 to one or more additional devices 216. [ In addition, the PMIC 102 may initiate one or more housekeeping operations based on other system state information 228 (e.g., information related to power resources, such as the power level of the battery) . By controlling housekeeping operations based on whether the mobile device 100 is charging, the power resources of the mobile device 100 can be saved during the non-charging mode.

Referring to FIG. 3, a particular embodiment of a mobile device 100 with a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 102 of FIG. 1 is shown. The mobile device 100 includes a representative error correction code (e. G., For storing error correction data (e. G., Parity bits) corresponding to the data stored in the exemplary bit cell 306 for storing data and in the bit cell 306 (ECC) cell 308. The word line 332 is coupled to the word line (ECC) The mobile device 100 may include circuitry, such as a read sense amplifier 310, a first ECC tree 308, and a second ECC tree 308, for reading and processing data from the bit cell 306 and error correction data from the ECC cell 308. [ Module 312, an ECC syndrome bit calculation and error correction module 314, and a data output buffer 316. The mobile device 100 also includes circuitry, such as write driver circuitry 320, a second ECC tree 308, and a second ECC cell 308 for writing data and error correction data to bit cell 306 and ECC cell 308, A module 322, and a data input buffer 324.

During operation, the PMIC 102 may control whether a self-refresh housekeeping operation is performed in the bit cell 306. [ For example, the PMIC 102 may send a command 252 to the internal refresh counter 302 to initiate a self-refresh housekeeping operation. In response to receipt of a command 252 to initiate a self-refresh housekeeping operation, the internal refresh counter 302 may generate a refresh address 342 and send it to the address decoder 304. The address decoder 304 may convert the voltage level of the word line 332 so that data is written to the bit cell 306. [ For example, the bit cell 306 may include a resistive memory element 330 that is capable of receiving data stored through the bit line 324 and read through the sense line 326. The transistor 328 may control access to the resistive memory element 330 based on the voltage on the word line 332. For example, bit cell 306 may be a memory cell of a spin transfer torque reluctance random access memory (STT-MRAM) and the resistive memory element 330 may include a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) device.

The read sense amplifier 310 can read the data stored in the bit cell 306 and the error correction data stored in the ECC cell 308. [ The data read from the bit cell 306 may be written to the first ECC tree module 302 along with other data corresponding to the ECC word (e.g., a plurality of bit cells accessed during a read operation along the word line 332) May be provided to the ECC syndrome bit calculation and error correction module 314 to generate a parity bit calculation. The ECC syndrome bit calculation and error correction module 314 may receive the ECC bits (e.g., the ECC bits read from the ECC cell 308) and the output of the ECC tree module 312. The ECC syndrome bit calculation and error correction module 314 may generate syndrome bits and use syndrome bits to correct errors in the data corresponding to the ECC word. The corrected data may be output to the data output buffer 316.

After correction, the data may be re-encoded and stored back in the cells (e.g., the data bits are stored in bit cell 306 and the parity bits are stored in ECC cell 308). The data may be provided to a second ECC tree module 322 that computes one or more parity bits based on the corrected data. Write driver circuitry element 320 writes the corrected data and parity to a memory array that includes bit cell 306 and ECC cell 308. [

As a result, the data read from the memory may be corrected, re-encoded, and written back to memory. By controlling the reading and writing to the bit cell 306 during the ECC housekeeping operation based on the PMIC 102, the ECC housekeeping operation can be performed at times when the mobile device 100 does not deplete the battery. However, ECC housekeeping may be performed during battery mode depending on how the ECC policy is defined.

Although described with respect to ECC correction, in other embodiments, the system shown in FIG. 3 may alternatively or additionally be used to perform non-volatile self-refresh without error correction. For example, in response to the mobile device 100 entering the charge-mode, the PMIC 102 may generate a series of refresh commands in the non-volatile memory. The internal refresh counter 302 may generate refresh addresses to execute self-refresh commands.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, ECC / refresh management can be moved to a non-critical path to reduce or eliminate the impact on system performance, and bit errors are frequently detected and corrected to ultimately It is possible to prevent the accumulation of bit errors that may render ECC inoperable. In addition, the system of FIG. 3 can lower the stress / energy of the memory cells by mitigating the data retention criteria. For example, since the ECC / refresh is controlled in accordance with a system-based policy, it is necessary to record data using higher energy to experience longer idle periods and thus to retain data longer to reduce data corruption Data can be stored using less energy than systems.

4, graph 400 illustrates how the performance rate 402 of the housekeeping operation of the device may be used to mitigate the physical design parameters 404 (e.g., data retention capabilities, write power, design size) Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > and / or < / RTI >

Industrial design parameters standard 406 may require an industrial housekeeping performance rate 480 to maintain the appropriate performance 470 of the mobile device 100 of FIG. If the performance of a housekeeping operation of a device (e.g., non-volatile memory) of the mobile device is controlled based on one of the system-level policies 208 of FIG. 2, the design parameters 404 may be mitigated . For example, by increasing the housekeeping performance rate, the data retention capability of the non-volatile memory of the mobile device 100 can be reduced, thus reducing the costs of the non-volatile memory and making it more competitive than the industry design parameter standard 406 Improvement. For example, the system-level policy may specify a first housekeeping performance rate 414 to maintain the proper performance 470 of the first relaxed design parameter 410. The first housekeeping performance rate 414 may be higher than the industrial housekeeping performance rate 408 and the first relaxed design parameter 410 may be designed to have a lower data retention capability than the industrial design parameter standard 406 . As another example, the second relaxed design parameter 412 may be used to determine a higher housekeeping performance rate (in relation to the industrial housekeeping performance rate 408 and the first housekeeping performance rate 414) May be designed to have an improvement 480 that is more competitive than an industry standard by specifying a second housekeeping performance rate 416 with the second housekeeping performance.

Other physical design parameters may be mitigated as a result of periodic refreshing in accordance with the system-level refresh policy. For example, in non-volatile memories, power can be saved by additional circuit optimizations (e.g., by downsizing the write drivers). As another example, reliability can be improved by lowering the stress experienced by the memory cells, such as by lowering the voltage. As another example, the cell hysteresis requirement can be reversed with retention to further lower stress / energy. The relaxation of the design parameters can enable the mobile device to be fabricated at reduced cost or with less complex components.

Referring to FIG. 5, a specific embodiment of a method 500 for initiating an error correction code (ECC) housekeeping operation at a mobile device based on a charging mode of the mobile device is disclosed. The method 500 begins at block 502, where at 502, a start policy indicating when the mobile device will start ECC system-level policies, such as an ECC housekeeping operation, an end indicating when to stop the ECC housekeeping operation, an active / standby policy indicating whether the ECC housekeeping operation is performed in the active mode, a battery mode policy indicating whether the ECC housekeeping operation is performed in the battery mode, whether the ECC housekeeping operation can be delayed, , An interrupt policy indicating whether an interrupt associated with ECC housekeeping operation is allowed, and whether an ECC housekeeping operation can be performed in response to an exceptional situation, such as a reboot or shut-down of the mobile device Whether to perform an ECC housekeeping operation based on an exception policy indicating I decide.

At block 504, the system on chip (SoC) power control may indicate whether an ECC exception has occurred. If an ECC exception occurs, at block 506, the mobile device determines whether to perform an ECC housekeeping operation, or otherwise processes an ECC exception according to, for example, an ECC exception policy. At 506, if an ECC exception has not occurred, the ECC timer is reset at block 508 and the hidden ECC housekeeping operation is initiated at block 510. At block 512, a determination is made as to whether the mobile device is in a standby mode. If the mobile device is not in standby mode, the method proceeds to block 530 via block 546. If the mobile device is in the standby mode, the method proceeds to block 514 where a determination is made as to whether the mobile device is in the charging mode. If the mobile device is not being charged, a determination is made at block 516 as to whether it is ok to deplete the mobile device's battery. For example, the ECC battery mode policy may indicate conditions under which the battery may be exhausted. If the battery is depleted, the method proceeds to block 522 to schedule an ECC housekeeping operation. If the battery may not be depleted, at block 518, a determination may be made as to whether the ECC timer has expired. In response to determining that the ECC timer has not expired, the method returns to block 514. If the ECC timer has expired, an ECC exception is generated at 520 and sent to block 504 via block 544.

Returning to block 514, in response to the determination that the mobile device is charging, execution of an ECC housekeeping operation may be initiated at block 522 (i.e., scheduling the ECC housekeeping operation). After initiating the ECC housekeeping operation, at block 524, a determination is made as to whether the mobile device is transitioning from the standby mode to the active mode or whether it has been switched. If the mobile device has transitioned to the active mode, the ECC housekeeping operation may be paused at block 526. In this case, a determination is made at block 528 as to whether the mobile device transitions from the active mode to the standby mode. In response to the mobile device being switched to the standby mode, the ECC housekeeping operation may be resumed at block 536. Returning to block 528, if the mobile device is not transitioning to the standby mode, a determination is made as to whether the ECC timer has expired (i. E., Whether the elapsed time has exceeded the threshold). If the ECC timer has not expired, the method returns to block 528. If the ECC timer expires, a low priority interrupt may be generated at block 532. At block 538, a determination is made as to whether an interrupt has been granted. If the interrupt is permitted, the method proceeds to block 536. If the interrupt is not allowed, an ECC exception is generated and sent to block 504 via block 544.

Returning to block 536, the method proceeds to block 534 where a determination is made as to whether the ECC housekeeping operation is complete. If the ECC housekeeping operation is not complete, the method returns to block 524. If the ECC housekeeping operation is complete, at block 542, the method determines whether the ECC timer has expired. If the ECC timer has not expired, the method returns to block 542. If the ECC timer has expired, the ECC timer is reset at block 508.

Referring to FIG. 6, a specific embodiment of a method 600 for initiating a housekeeping operation in a mobile device based on whether the mobile device is being charged is disclosed. The method 600 includes, at the mobile device, modifying the scheduled housekeeping operation in response to determining that the mobile device is in the charging mode (602). The housekeeping timer may be scheduled to initiate a housekeeping operation, such as when the housekeeping timer 110 of FIG. 1 exceeds a threshold. 1, the power management integrated circuit 102 may send a command 120 to initiate a housekeeping operation at the mobile device 100 in response to a determination 130 that the mobile device 100 is charging have. The housekeeping operation may include an error correction operation, a memory self-refresh operation, a transfer operation from a volatile memory to a non-volatile memory, or any combination thereof.

The method 600 may also include suspending (604) the housekeeping operation in response to detecting that the mobile device is transitioning from the charging mode to the non-charging mode. For example, in FIG. 1, in response to decision 150 that mobile device 100 is transitioning from a charging mode to a non-charging mode, power management integrated circuit 102 may issue a command 152 ).

The method 600 may also include resuming the housekeeping operation in response to detecting that the mobile device is transitioning from the non-charging mode to the charging mode (606). For example, in FIG. 1, in response to decision 154 that mobile device 100 is transitioning from non-charging mode to charging mode, power management integrated circuit 102 may issue a command 156 ).

The method 600 may also include resetting the housekeeping timer in response to completing the housekeeping operation (608). For example, in FIG. 1, the power management integrated circuit 102 may reset the housekeeping timer 110 in response to an indication 158 that the housekeeping operation is complete.

FIG. 7 discloses a specific embodiment of a method 700 of policy-based offloading of a housekeeping operation. The method 700 includes detecting 702 that the mobile device is in a charging mode. For example, in FIG. 2, the power management integrated circuit 102 determines (130) that the mobile device 100 is in the charging mode.

In response to detecting that the mobile device is in the charging mode, a housekeeping operation is initiated 704 in the mobile device according to the system-level policy. A housekeeping operation may be applied to the first device in the mobile device. For example, the first device may be one of a system-on-a-chip and a memory. The system-level policy can be controlled outside the first device. 2, the power management integrated circuit 102 is responsive to a determination 130 that the mobile device 100 is in a charging mode, and for issuing commands (e.g., The SoC 212, and the additional device 216 via the non-volatile memory 210, 250-256. House-level policies can be user programmable.

The system-level policy may include initiating a housekeeping operation prior to the scheduled time if the mobile device is in the charging mode. In addition, the system-level policy may include initiating a housekeeping operation in response to a determination that the housekeeping timer has exceeded a threshold when the mobile device is in the non-charging mode. The housekeeping timer tracks the elapsed time since the completion of the house keeping operation of the first time. For example, the ECC timer of FIG. 5 keeps track of the elapsed time since the ECC timer was reset at block 508 and ECC housekeeping operation was initiated at block 510.

Referring to FIG. 8, a specific embodiment of a method 800 for designing a mobile device to initiate a housekeeping operation based on whether the mobile device is being charged is disclosed. The method 800 includes selecting a system-level policy at 802. For example, in FIG. 2, the mobile device 100 may receive a system-level policy (e.g., an ECC housekeeping behavior policy 218, a self-refresh housekeeping behavior policy 220, (222), or additional policies (224). As another example, in FIG. 4, the selection of a housekeeping performance rate 402 based on a system-level policy is illustrated.

The method 800 may also be performed on devices (e.g., non-volatile memory 210, system on chip 212, and additional devices 216) based on an adjustable system- Mitigating physical design requirements, and an adjustable system-level policy controls the performance of the housekeeping operation (804). For example, in FIG. 2, the power management integrated circuit 102 may include a system-level policy (e.g., error housekeeping behavior policy 218, self-refresh policy (Transfer policy 220, non-volatile memory transfer policy 222, or additional policies 224). As another example, in FIG. 4, the design parameters 404 are mitigated based on the housekeeping performance rate 402 as selected in the system-level policy.

By way of example, mitigation of physical design requirements may include reducing the write current to the data write current for the data write operation of the device. As another example, mitigating design requirements may include selecting a data retention characteristic of the device based on a system-level policy. Selecting the data retention feature may include reducing the ability of the memory in the mobile device to retain. The retention capability of the memory may be reduced in response to selecting an increase in the refresh rate of the memory in the system-level policy. For example, in FIG. 4, the retention capability 404 of the memory in the device is reduced (from the industry standard 406 to the first relaxed design parameter 410) in response to selecting the increased refresh rate of the memory (The housekeeping performance rate 402 is increased from the industry minimum requirement 408 to the first housekeeping performance rate 414).

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a wireless communication device 900 including the power management integrated circuit 102 of FIG. The wireless communication device 900 may be embodied as a portable wireless electronic device including a processor 910, such as a digital signal processor (DSP), coupled to a memory 932.

The power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 102 may control the housekeeping operation of one or more devices in the wireless communication device 900 based on a determination of whether the wireless communication device 900 is being charged. The PMIC 102 may monitor the battery 964 and the power source 944 to determine whether the wireless communication device 900 is being charged. The power management integrated circuit 102 may comprise one or more components, memories, or circuits operating according to the methods of Figs. 5-8 described in Figs. 1-3 and any combination thereof .

In a particular embodiment, a display controller 926 is coupled to the processor 910 and to the display device 928. A coder / decoder (CODEC) 934 may also be coupled to the processor 910. Speaker 936 and microphone 938 may be coupled to CODEC 934. [ A wireless controller 940 may be coupled to the processor 910 and to the wireless antenna 942.

The memory 932 may include a processor, such as a computer readable medium that stores instructions (e.g., software 935) executable by the processor 910. For example, the software 935 may include instructions executable by the processor in the processor 910 or PMIC 102 to detect that the mobile device (e.g., the mobile device of FIG. 1) . The software 935 may also be used to initiate a housekeeping operation at the mobile device in accordance with a system-level policy in response to detecting that the mobile device (e.g., mobile device 100 of FIG. 1) , And instructions executable by the processor.

In a particular embodiment, the PMIC 102, the signal processor 910, the display controller 926, the memory 932, the CODEC 934, and the radio controller 940 are system-in-package Gt; device 922. < / RTI > In a particular embodiment, the input device 930 and the power source 944 are coupled to the system-in-package device 922. 9, a display 928, an input device 930, a speaker 936, a microphone 938, a wireless antenna 942, and a power source 944 are coupled to the system- Lt; / RTI > package device 922; However, the display device 928, the input device 930, the speaker 936, the microphone 938, the wireless antenna 942, and the power source 944 each include a system-in-package device 922, such as an interface or controller, Lt; / RTI >

The disclosed devices and functions described above may be designed and configured with computer files (e.g., RTL, GDSII, GERBER, etc.) stored on a computer readable medium. Some or all of these files may be provided to manufacturing handlers that manufacture devices based on these files. The resulting products include semiconductor wafers, which are then cut into semiconductor dies and packaged into semiconductor chips. The chips are then used in the above-mentioned devices.

FIG. 10 illustrates a specific exemplary embodiment of an electronic device manufacturing process 1000. The physical device information 1002 is received at the manufacturing process 1000, for example, at the research computer 1006. The physical device information 1002 may be stored in the power management integrated circuit 102, the non-volatile memory 410 or the volatile memory 214 of FIG. 2, the access transistor 328 of FIG. 3, or the resistive memory element 330), or any combination thereof, as well as design information representative of at least one physical property of the semiconductor device. For example, the physical device information 1002 may include physical parameters, material properties, and structural information that is input via the user interface 1004 coupled to the research computer 1006. The research computer 1006 includes a processor 1008, such as one or more processing cores coupled to a computer readable medium, such as the memory 1010. Memory 1010 may store computer readable instructions executable by processor 1008 to convert physical device information 1002 to conform to a file format to generate library file 1012. [

In a particular embodiment, the library file 1012 includes at least one data file containing the transformed design information. For example, the library file 1012 may be provided for use with an electronic design automation (EDA) tool 1020, a device including the power management integrated circuit 102 of FIGS. 1-3, A combination of semiconductor devices.

The library file 1012 may be used with the EDA tool 1020 in a design computer 1014 that includes a processor 1016 such as one or more processing cores coupled to a memory 1018. [ The EDA tool 1020 may allow a user of the design computer 1014 to provide a circuit that includes a library file 1012, a device containing the power management integrated circuit 102 of Figs. 1-3, or any combination thereof May be stored in the memory 1018 as processor executable instructions for design purposes. For example, a user of the design computer 1014 may input circuit design information 1022 via the user interface 1024 coupled to the design computer 1014. [ The circuit design information 1022 may include design information that represents at least one physical characteristic of a semiconductor device, such as a device comprising the power management integrated circuit 102 of FIGS. 1-3, or any combination thereof . Illustratively, the circuit design characteristics include relationships with other elements in the circuit design and other information indicative of the identification of specific circuits, positioning information, feature size information, interconnect information, or physical characteristics of the semiconductor device can do.

The design computer 1014 may be configured to allow the designer to mitigate the physical design requirements of the device based on an adjustable system-level policy that is controlled outside the device and controls the performance of housekeeping operations. For example, the design computer 1014 may be provided with a design computer 1014 to receive user input to select a system-level policy or to receive a user selection of a system-level policy and to mitigate design requirements or mitigate design requirements. Executable instructions may be present in the memory 1018, which may be executable by a processor of the processor. For example, mitigating design requirements may include selecting a data retention characteristic of the device based on a system-level policy. The design computer 1014 may enable the performance of the method described with respect to FIG.

The design computer 1014 may be configured to convert the design information including the circuit design information 1022 to conform to the file format. Illustratively, the file formation may include a database binary file format that represents flat geometry, text labels, and other information regarding circuit layout in a hierarchical format such as a graphics data system (GDSII) file format. have. The design computer 1014 is coupled to the power management integrated circuit 102 of FIGS. 1-3, the non-volatile memory 210 of FIG. 2, the volatile memory 214 of FIG. 2, or the bit cell 306 of FIG. Such as a GDSII file 1026 containing information describing a device having the same relaxed physical design requirements or any combination thereof, and other circuitry or information . Illustratively, the data file includes the power management integrated circuit 102 of FIGS. 1-3 and also includes components and additional electronics in the system on chip (SOC), such as the non-volatile memory 210 of FIG. 2 ), A volatile memory 214 of FIG. 2, or a bit cell 306 of FIG. 3, for example.

The GDSII file 1026 may be stored in the power management integrated circuit 102, the nonvolatile memory 210 of FIG. 2, the volatile memory 214 of FIG. 2 ), Or a device having a relaxed physical design requirement, such as bit cell 306 of FIG. 3, or any combination thereof. For example, the device fabrication process may provide a mask manufacturer 1030 with a GDSII file 1026 to create one or more masks, such as the masks to be used with photolithographic processing, illustrated as representative mask 1032 . The mask 1032 can be used during the fabrication process to produce one or more wafers 1034 that can be tested and separated into dies, such as the representative die 1036. The die 1036 may be a device including the power management integrated circuit 102 of FIGS. 1-3, the non-volatile memory 210 of FIG. 2, the volatile memory 214 of FIG. 2, or the bit cell 306 of FIG. 3 ), Or any combination of these. ≪ RTI ID = 0.0 > [0002] < / RTI >

The die 1036 may be provided in a packaging process 1038, where the die 1036 is included in the representative package 1040. For example, the package 1040 may include multiple dies or a single die 1036, such as a system-in-package (SiP) arrangement. Package 1040 may be configured to conform to one or more standards or specifications, such as Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) standards.

Information about the package 1040 may be distributed to various product designers, for example, through a component library stored in the computer 1046. [ The computer 1046 may include a processor 1048, such as one or more processing cores coupled to the memory 1050. A printed circuit board (PCB) tool may be stored as processor executable instructions in memory 1050 to process PCB design information 1042 received from a user of computer 1046 via user interface 1044. [ The PCB design information 1042 may include physical positioning information of the semiconductor device packaged on the circuit board, and the packaged semiconductor device may include the power management integrated circuit 102 of FIGS. 1-3, the non-volatile memory 102 of FIG. 2, A device having a relaxed physical design requirement such as the memory cell 210, the volatile memory 214 of FIG. 2, or the bit cell 306 of FIG. 3, or any combination thereof.

The computer 1046 may be programmed to generate a data file such as a GERBER file 1052 having data that includes the physical location information of the packaged semiconductor device on the circuit board as well as the layout of electrical connections such as traces and vias, The packaged semiconductor device may be configured to translate design information 1042 and may include power management integrated circuit 102 of FIGS. 1-3, non-volatile memory 210 of FIG. 2, volatile memory 214 of FIG. 2, , Or a device having relaxed physical design requirements such as bit cell 306 of FIG. 3, or any combination thereof. In other embodiments, the data file generated by the translated PCB design information may have a format other than the GERBER format.

The GERBER file 1052 can be used to generate PCBs, such as the representative PCB 1056, that are received at the board assembly process 1054 and are manufactured according to the design information stored in the GERBER file 1052. For example, the GERBER file 1052 may be uploaded to one or more machines to perform various steps of the PCB production process. In the PCB 1056, electrical components including the package 1040 may be populated to form a representative printed circuit assembly (PCA) 1058.

PCA 1058 may be accepted in product manufacturing process 1060 and incorporated into one or more of the electronic devices, e.g., first representative electronic device 1062 and second representative electronic device 1064 . As an illustrative non-limiting example, the first representative electronic device 1062, the second representative electronic device 1064, or both can be a set top box, a music player, a video player , An entertainment unit, a navigation device, a communication device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a fixed location data unit, and a computer. As another exemplary, non-limiting example, one or more of the electronic devices 1062, 1064 may be portable data such as mobile phones, handheld personal communications system (PCS) units, personal data assistants Units, Global Positioning System (GPS) enabled devices, navigation devices, fixed position data units such as meter reading devices, or any other device that stores or retrieves data or computer instructions The same remote units, or any combination thereof. Although FIG. 10 illustrates remote units in accordance with the teachings of this disclosure, the present disclosure is not limited to these exemplary exemplary units. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be suitably employed in any device that includes an active integrated circuit including on-chip circuitry and memory.

Devices that comprise relaxed physical design requirements for use with the power management integrated circuit 102 of FIGS. 1-3, or that consist of these relaxed physical design requirements, or any combination thereof, may be implemented in an exemplary process 1000, which may be incorporated into an electronic device. One or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments with respect to FIGS. 1-9 may be included in the various processing stages, for example, in a library file 1012, a GDSII file 1026, and a GERBER file 1052 As well as the memory 1010 of the research computer 1006, the memory 1018 of the design computer 1014, the memory 1050 of the computer 1046 and the various stages of the board assembly process 1054, For example, one or more other physical embodiments, e.g., mask 1032, die 1036, and / or other physical embodiments stored in a memory of one or more other computers or processors (not shown) , Package 1040, PCA 1058, other products such as prototype circuits or devices (not shown), or any combination thereof. Various representative production stages from physical device design to final product are shown, but in other embodiments fewer stages may be used or additional stages may be included. Similarly, the process 1000 may be performed by a single entity, or by one or more entities performing various stages of the process 1000.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, configurations, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software executed by a processor, Will be appreciated. The various illustrative components, blocks, structures, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or as processor executable instructions depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

The steps of an algorithm or method described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software module may be a random access memory (RAM), a magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), a spin-torque-transfer magnetoresistive random access memory (STT-MRAM), a flash memory, a read only memory (ROM) (PROM), erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a compact disk read-only memory (CD- And may reside in any other form of non-volatile storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be integral with the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The ASIC may reside in a computing device or a user terminal. In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in a computing device or user terminal.

The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosed embodiments. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest possible scope consistent with the principles and novel features as defined by the following claims.

Claims (36)

As a method,
Detecting that the mobile device is charging; And
Responsive to detecting that the mobile device is charging, modifying a schedule for performing a scheduled housekeeping operation at the mobile device, and
Wherein the scheduled housekeeping operation comprises: performing an error correction operation in a memory of the mobile device; performing a memory self-refresh operation in a memory of the mobile device; determining from the volatile memory of the mobile device non- Performing a transfer operation to the memory, or any combination thereof. delete The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising pausing the housekeeping operation in response to detecting that the mobile device is not being charged. The method of claim 3,
Further comprising resuming the housekeeping operation in response to detecting that the mobile device is being charged after pausing the housekeeping operation. The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising performing the scheduled housekeeping operation when the housekeeping timer exceeds a threshold and the mobile device is not connected to a charger. 6. The method of claim 5,
Further comprising resetting the house keeping timer in response to completion of the house keeping operation. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the step of changing the schedule is performed in a processor integrated in the mobile device. 10. A method in a mobile device for performing housekeeping operations in accordance with a schedule,
Detecting that the mobile device is being charged; And
Initiating a housekeeping operation at the mobile device in accordance with a system-level policy of the mobile device in response to detecting that the mobile device is being charged, the system-level policy further comprising: scheduling And initiating the housekeeping operation at a time other than the established start time, and
Performing a memory self-refresh operation in a memory of the mobile device; performing a memory self-refresh operation in a memory of the mobile device from a volatile memory of the mobile device to a non-volatile memory of the mobile device Or a combination of any of these. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the housekeeping operation is applied to a component in the mobile device and the system-level policy is controlled outside the component. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the component comprises at least one of a system-on-a-chip or a memory. delete 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the system-level policy comprises initiating the housekeeping operation in response to determining that a housekeeping timer exceeds a threshold if the mobile device is not connected to a charger. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the system-level policy is user programmable. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the detecting that the mobile device is charging and the initiation of the housekeeping operation are performed in a processor integrated in the mobile device. delete delete delete delete delete As an apparatus,
A component configured to perform a housekeeping operation in a mobile device according to a schedule; And
In response to detecting that the mobile device is charging when the component is operating in accordance with the schedule, and at a time other than the scheduled start time of the housekeeping operation, the power configured to initiate the housekeeping operation at the component Management integrated circuit, and
Performing a memory self-refresh operation in a memory of the mobile device; performing a memory self-refresh operation in a memory of the mobile device from a volatile memory of the mobile device to a non-volatile memory of the mobile device Or any combination thereof. ≪ Desc / Clms Page number 12 > 21. The method of claim 20,
Wherein the power management integrated circuit implements a system-level policy to control initiation of the housekeeping operation. 21. The method of claim 20,
Wherein the power management integrated circuit is further configured to instruct the component to initiate the housekeeping operation in response to the housekeeping timer exceeding a threshold. 21. The method of claim 20,
Wherein the component comprises a memory device. delete 21. The method of claim 20,
RTI ID = 0.0 > 1, < / RTI > 21. The method of claim 20,
Further comprising at least one of a set top box, a music player, a video player, an entertainment unit, a navigation device, a communication device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or a computer to which the device is integrated. As an apparatus,
Means for performing a housekeeping operation at a mobile device according to a schedule; And
In response to detecting that the mobile device is being charged, and when the means for executing the housekeeping operation is operating in accordance with the schedule, initiating the housekeeping operation at a time other than the scheduled start time of the housekeeping operation And means for
Performing a memory self-refresh operation in a memory of the mobile device; performing a memory self-refresh operation in a memory of the mobile device from a volatile memory of the mobile device to a non-volatile memory of the mobile device Or any combination thereof. ≪ Desc / Clms Page number 12 > 28. The method of claim 27,
RTI ID = 0.0 > 1, < / RTI > 28. The method of claim 27,
Further comprising at least one of a set top box, a music player, a video player, an entertainment unit, a navigation device, a communication device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or a computer to which the device is integrated. 10. A method in a mobile device for performing housekeeping operations in accordance with a schedule,
A first step of detecting that the mobile device is being charged; And
A second step of initiating a housekeeping operation at the mobile device in accordance with a system-level policy of the mobile device in response to detecting that the mobile device is being charged, the system- Initiating the housekeeping operation at a time other than the scheduled start time if present, and
Performing a memory self-refresh operation in a memory of the mobile device; performing a memory self-refresh operation in a memory of the mobile device from a volatile memory of the mobile device to a non-volatile memory of the mobile device Or a combination of any of these. 31. The method of claim 30,
Wherein the first step and the second step are performed by a processor integrated in the mobile device. A computer-readable medium for storing instructions,
Wherein the instructions, when executed by a processor of a mobile device executing housekeeping operations according to a schedule, cause the processor to:
Detect that the mobile device is being charged; And
In response to detecting that the mobile device is being charged, initiating a housekeeping operation at the mobile device in accordance with the system-level policy of the mobile device,
Wherein the system-level policy comprises initiating the housekeeping operation at a time other than the scheduled start time if the mobile device is being charged, and
Performing a memory self-refresh operation in a memory of the mobile device; performing a memory self-refresh operation in a memory of the mobile device from a volatile memory of the mobile device to a non-volatile memory of the mobile device , Or any combination thereof. ≪ RTI ID = 0.0 > [0002] < / RTI > 33. The method of claim 32,
Wherein the instructions are executable by a processor integrated in at least one of a set top box, a music player, a video player, an entertainment unit, a navigation device, a communication device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or a computer. delete delete delete

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